B's Sign Boychuk to Extension

BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has signed defenseman Johnny Boychuk to a three-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season. Per club policy, financial terms of the deal will not be disclosed at this time.

So far this season, the 28-year-old Boychuk has played in 52 games with three goals and seven assists for 10 points. As of February 14th, he ranks second among B’s defensemen in plus/minus with a +23 on the season, trailing only Zdeno Chara. The +23 ranks eighth overall amongst skaters in the NHL.

In his first full season with the Boston Bruins in 2010-2011, he appeared in a career high 69 games with three goals and a career high 13 assists in the regular season. Boychuk skated in all 25 playoff games last season and collected nine points on three goals and six assists during Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup Championship run.

In the 2009-2010 season split between the Providence Bruins and Boston, Boychuk skated in 51 regular season NHL games with five goals and 10 assists for 15 points. He spent most of the 2008-2009 season in Providence, where he led the team in scoring with 20-46=66 totals in 78 games with the P-Bruins. He set a Providence club record for points by a defenseman while leading all AHL defensemen in scoring, with 66 points and +19 rating on the season. That year, Boychuk was named the P-Bruins MVP and Best Defenseman, was awarded the AHL’s Eddie Shore Award (top AHL Defenseman), and was also named a First Team AHL All-Star.

For his career, Boychuk has played in 177 regular season NHL games with Boston and Colorado and has 41 points on 11 goals and 30 assists. He was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the third round (61st overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Boychuk was acquired by Boston from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Matt Hendricks on June 24, 2008.

The 2011-2012 Boston Bruins season is presented by the Massachusetts State Lottery.